Experimental WeaponMeister Games!
by BluejayWing
Summary: The Exchange Program was a bust, but now you're in for it! Meant to strengthen the bonds between each of the DWMA branches – and give students a chance to prove who really deserves to be called the greatest pair! Will our heroes be able to defeat the DWMAA? And what the hell is with Black*Star? Join our heroes once more as they not only fight for their pride, but their lives?
1. Chapter 1: Kai

Chapter One: Kai: Pilot: Kishin Blade; Will the DWMA Ever Be Normal?

Uncomfortable wooden chair? Check.

Smell of dead animal? Check.

Snoring meister, drooling on his paper? Double-check.

Slumped in my seat, I try my best not to follow Black*Star to dreamland and focus on what Stein is saying. I've long since given up on trying to _understand_ what the words mean, but the least I can do is pretend I know what he's talking about. Last night I had dragged myself home to my two-bedroom apartment after another mission – the fifth this month, and it wasn't even halfway over – at an ungodly hour. I hadn't even made it to my bed before I collapsed, instead resigned to sleeping on the couch. All that got me was the backache from hell and the imprint of my hand on my cheek. Yay me. I didn't even sleep that well, damn it.

My name is Kai Blair. I'm sixteen, and a weapon currently studying at the DWMA. After a series of unfortunate events including a failed exchange program, a psycho witch with a squid fetish, and some crazy-ass kishin powers, I ended up being the weapon to the 'Great' Black*Star. No, before you ask, I didn't kill Tsubaki to get here. She's down in Africa with her lover-boy meister, Snow. Last I heard she was nearly a death scythe too. Some weapons have all the luck.

Not that I'm not happy with Black*Star, but he's an obnoxious little bastard sometimes, and it pisses me off to be _this _tired and still have a whole bunch of souls left to collect. A few weeks ago we had 99 kishin eggs, but when we went to kill our witch we had some complications and… you get the picture. Now we were back to square one and it sucked major potatoes to know that we had to do it all over again. At least we found some sympathy in the form of Maka and Soul, who had gone through a similar situation last year, but at least they had a magically-inclined cat as a friend out of the deal. I just had scorched eyebrows.

"Giraffe!" Patty giggled on the other side of me, doodling a long-necked animal on her paper. Death the Kid, Lord Death's son, had his golden eyes focused on the ceiling in a sure sign of boredom on the other side of the youngest Thompson sister. Liz seemed to be at least attempting to listen to Stein but with her you never could know if she was getting anything. I would never tell her to her face, but she was a poster child for stereotypical blonds sometimes.

To my left, on the other side of Black*Star, sat Soul Eater Evans and Maka Albarn. The pair was pretty famous in all branches of the DWMA due to them having defeated the kishin Asura along with the rest of my new friends. Recently they had actually started dating, which didn't come as a surprise to anyone except maybe themselves. The rest of us had known it was coming since the Exchange Program, when Soul nearly bit the dust after Maka was capture and believed dead. Things ended up working out alright, so no one could really complain, I guess.

I entertained myself with watching Black*Star drool on the desk, silently urging the embarrassing dribble onwards. My meister, though I have some pretty strong feelings for him, was still the same as usual, and still special in the head sometimes (like now, for instances). Childish, arrogant, and reckless were three adjectives that he could easily be described with. Admittedly, he _had_ done a lot of maturing since we had met, but there was still a lot of room for improvement. Never tell him that, of course, because his ego is massive and packs a punch.

The bell rang, startling me and my meister into attention. Black*Star toppled out of his chart, grunting as his elbow smacked against the cobblestone floor. I suppressed a snicker and helped him to his feet before gathering my books and pushing my chair in. He stood, wobbling slightly as he got used to being awake again, and sauntered after me. I questioned his refusal to bring any of the class workbooks with him to school but the teachers did anything.

"What did I miss?" My partner yawned, stretching his arms above his head. For a brief second I enjoyed the flexing muscles in his biceps, but then got around to answering his question with a shrug.

"No idea, your snoring drowned out the sound of Stein's voice!"

Flashing me a cocky grin, he laughed. "Fell asleep too, huh?"

A light, angry blush painted my cheeks as I was caught by the truth. "I was dozing. Maka probably has some notes we can borrow to copy off of."

"I'm so used to having Tsubaki do all that stuff," he wrinkled his nose, not noticing my steps slowing slightly as a shadow crossed my features. Sometimes this would happen, and I always tried to tamp down my jealousy. So what if he'd had another weapon before me? She had Snow now so it wasn't as if I was competing for him, or stealing him. Still, every time he brought her up it made me wonder if he wished things had turned out differently. My gray eyes watched him walk a few steps, then turn around to search for me. The confusion in his eyes was enough for me to feel guilty. Black*Star wasn't like most guys: he was startlingly innocent, even with all his talk. Hell, we had been in a pseudo-relationship for the past few months since I had gotten here and we hadn't done anything more than lean against each other on the couch during a movie.

It definetly wasn't every girl's dream, but it suited our lifestyle and personalities. Neither of us was big on affection unless we were feeling particularly emotional, and there just wasn't anything that happened in our day-to-day lives to warrant that kind of show. Liz thought it was a little weird that we never kissed or anything, but I trusted him not to be doing anything with other people. At least, I hoped he wasn't.

"Sorry," I quickly caught up with him, smirking. "I got lost in thought."

"Yeah, I figured!" He grinned, socking me in the shoulder lightly.

Out of nowhere, Maka came sprinting up to us, slightly out of breath. We stopped in our tracks, both surprised, as we waited for our friend to get some air. "Professor Stein wants to see you guys, and it's urgent!" She then turned and began weaving quickly through the crowd again as if she expected us to follow her. I set off in pursuit and attempted not to knock anyone over or step on any toes. Black*Star was a little less gentle and left a wake of destruction behind him, something I witnessed as he passed me and I was nearly sent careening into an open locker.

Professor Stein's room still had a blood, dissected animal laying on the front table when we got back. Our teacher was idly twisting the screw that protruded from the side of his head, surveying the students who stood in front of him. I raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Black*Star. Gathering all his strongest partnerships? In addition to Black*Star and I, our friends stood. Maka and Soul to one side, Kid and the Thompson's on the other. None of them looked like they knew what was going on either, so I just rolled with it until the door opened behind me, causing me to jerk around.

A person stood in the doorway, dressed in a long black dress-like thing that made me wonder about their gender. He/she's eyes were downcast and full of fear, pink hair brushing slightly over their forehead as they scurried into the room like a frightened mouse. I studied them for a moment before matching Maka's description with the face: "Crona?"

He looked up and immediately froze, halfway to Maka's side. Whimpering slightly, he nodded. "Maka," muttering, he curled in on himself and gripped his arm. "She looks scary. I just can't deal with scary people!"

"It's alright, Crona!" Maka soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder with a soft smile. "Kai is Black*Star's new partner! She's really nice once you get to know her!"

Crona bit his lip and whimpered slightly, still looking extremely uncomfortable and not the least bit assured by Maka's words. From what I had heard, he was one of the DWMA's strongest meisters on the account of his weapon, Ragnarok, but he was a total basket case. He wasn't able to go out on missions alone or with anyone other than Maka and Soul, which made it hard for him to go on missions at all. Most of the time he just went to class and stayed at Kid's mansion with the young Shinigami and his two weapons.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here," Stein said with a bored look at all of us. It was impossible to tell whether or not he was actually excited to be delivering whatever news he was tasked with giving us. "I have an assignment for you all."

"Extra credit?" Maka jumped on the opportunity to better her grade. I perked up as well, knowing that my constant missions had thrown my grades into turmoil. I was passing with higher than average marks, but I was third in the class under Ox Ford and it didn't sit well with me to be under such an obnoxious guy.

"Of sorts," Stein agreed, his gaze flicking over all of us. "But first let me explain what exactly I'm talking about and then you can decide if you want to do it. It requires that all of you agree to participate, even you, Crona."

The pink-haired boy whimpered again, cowering behind Maka. I was slightly disappointed that his weapon hadn't made an appearance yet. Having never seen Ragnarok appear from his back before, I was rather looking forward to seeing it spring from his back. We had the same maker, after all, so in a sense I was kind of his big sister. I doubted he knew that little fact.

"After the failure of the Exchange Program, there's been a lot of unrest between the separate branches of the DWMA. Everyone is blaming everyone else for what happened, and a lot of good teams have been ruined due to the abnormal wavelengths they had to spend time with. Lord Death has decided, to boost morale," his voice was monotonous and completely unexcited, ironically, "that a new experimental program is going to take place: the Weapon/Meister Games."

He paused for a moment to let that sink in before he began speaking again. "Each branch is going to be sending a team of eight to compete. There will be a total of four rounds, each with different rules, and different kishin. It will be centered around combat and strength, and in the end, their will only be one winning pair, from one team. That weapon/meister pair will go down in history as the strongest of their time."

Stein continued, prattling on in a disinterested voice, but he had already won Black*Star and I over. I could see Kid's interest growing steadily, and Maka had been hooked from the second Stein had mentioned extra credit. Soul looked a little less excited, but I could see that he would agree to whatever Maka's decision was on the matter. Crona looked like he was about to wet his pants.

"We're in!" Black*Star gave a big thumbs up with his loud proclamation and I smirked in agreement at his side.

Maka and Soul shared a silent look, having a silent conversation before Soul finally shrugged. "It sounds cool."

"Let's do it!" Maka smiled, nodding at Stein.

Kid, of course, gave his answer without conferring with his weapons. Patty was too busy drawing a rather grotesque picture of a people-eating giraffe to really care, and Liz was absentmindedly listening while she painted her nails. Lord Death's son was on board, his gold eyes showing his determination. I knew from that moment that he felt he had something to prove, and that he was going to be a tough competitor.

Finally, it was just Crona. The skinny boy shivered under the collected gazes of the group, and seemed to shrink as the silence stretched. As we waited, I tugged on a lock of my red hair in agitation and glanced at the clock. I really wanted to go out and get some combat practice in with Maka, Soul, and Black*Star today, but if this meeting stretched out any longer I doubted that anyone would have time. The girls had all already agreed to a sleepover at Maka's, while all the boys were migrating over to Kid's mansion. Since it was a Friday we had planned to stay up late and watch some of the newer movies Liz and Patty had swiped from Kid's collection.

I was too nervous to tell any of the other girls that it was my first sleepover.

"I don't know if I can handle this…" Crona sighed, but as he spoke a black shape rose out of his back and formed the creature known as Ragnarok. He was small, black, and had a white 'X' on his face along with two rather odd eyes. His fists began bashing at the pink head of his meister and Crona yelped, trying to duck away in vain. I watched in fascination as Ragnarok bullied Crona into agreeing, and then Maka in turn made Ragnarok stop picking on Crona with the bribe of candy.

"You're a horrid girl!" Ragnarok said around a mouthful of sweets, two lollipop sticks protruding from his mouth as he grumbled. "He's my meister! You'll make him soft!"

The small being seemed to look around before seeing me. As we studied each other, he smacked Crona upside the head. "Hey! Who the hell is this?"

Crona whimpered again, clearly confused and overwhelmed by his weapon, stayed silent.

"Name is Kai Blair," I grinned, amused. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, 'nice'. Not when you're around these people!" Ragnarok sneered, yanking on Crona's hair. "Alright, now let's leave. These guys stink!"

"These guys are my friends!" Crona protested weakly as he shuffled out the door.

Black*Star snickered after he left, obviously finding as much humor in Crona's predicament as I had. Maka frowned slightly, but she and Soul found each other's hands and he gave her fingers a tight squeeze. I barfed a little in my mouth.

"Alright, let's get our asses down to the courtyard!" I urged, grabbing Black*Star's arm and pulling him towards the door. "Stein, do you feel like being a referee?"

The professor shrugged and began wheeling himself towards the door, so I took it as a yes. We all began moving through the school, following our rolling teacher, and I took a moment to think about the Weapon/Meister Games. The last genius idea Lord Death had ended up nearly getting most of the DWMA's weapons killed, myself included, as well as a good number of meisters. I felt like my nervousness was justified, but… I wanted to enjoy myself. Black*Star and I might actually have a shot at winning, if we could get Kishin Blade up to par before it was time.

Excitement buzzed through my veins as I considered the possibility of someday being known throughout the world as the strongest weapon/meister pair in any of the branches. Could we succeed? Was it possible?

Looking at the cocky grin of my meister, I had no doubt we could.

Or, you know, we could die trying.

(Author's Note: Yeaah! We're back! *does a happy dance* So, thoughts on the new story? Are you guys intrigued? I hope so... anyways! Reviews are greatly appreciated, as well as favorites and follows! And, if you haven't read the prequel to this, it's a little bit necessary to understand, so... check out the Experimental Weapon/Meister Exchange! Happy reading!)


	2. Chapter 2: Kai

Chapter Two: Kai: Sleepover; Awkward Situations are Liz's Entertainment?

With the Games looming over my head, I then had to head home to get ready for the sleepover I had been forced into. Black*Star and I walked through the streets of Death City in a companionable silence. The unnatural heat made my skin slick with sweat and by the time we were at our 'house' all I really wanted to do that evening was take a cold shower and monopolize the only air conditioner we had. Our house was a bit of a dump, and I often wondered how it was still standing. The yard – if it could really be called that – was a barren patch of dirt that was our insufficient barrier between us and the old brick buildings on either side. It was a short, concrete affair, with very few windows, and it often reminded me of a bomb shelter.

The wooden door squeaked loudly as I pushed my way through, the lock having long been broken. Inside the heat was worse, and the air was thick with it. I quickly crossed the room and set the air conditioner to the coldest setting, shivering slightly as the cool air hit my skin. Rubbing at the goosebumps, I frowned. Black*Star had already flopped onto the couch and he appeared to be melting.

"I guess it's a good thing we're both going out tonight, huh?" He snickered weakly.

I grunted in agreement, mulling over a few thoughts that were drifting through my nearly boiled brain. "We could get a new apartment, you know. Maybe in Soul and Maka's building. I heard they might have a vacancy."

The suggestion hung in the air like it had so many times before. Black*Star continued to stare at the ceiling while I tried to judge his expression. It was times like these where I was unsure of my meister. Neither of us were very open about our emotions, which was a definite shortcoming, so I only knew what I could glean from the look in his eye. Though I could tell he was hesitant and frustrated by the idea, I didn't know why. I didn't know why this house was so important.

"Forget it, I like it here." I said quickly, dispelling the imminent argument. We seemed to always fight over the stupidest things and the constant adversity was getting to me. Maybe a night away from each other would do us good.

Leaving my treasured place by the air conditioner, I crossed the house to my room. It was slightly less hot inside because it was shielded by the buildings on either side, but it wasn't much better. I made quick work of packing: throwing a pair of basketball shorts in at random and a pair of underwear, socks, and a newer pair of high tops. A good thing about all the missions we'd been going on is we had been able to collect some reward money, which meant I could actually get some new clothes. My usual outfit of cut-of t-shirts and tartan short-shorts had improved slightly: a bleach-white shirt with a gothic black vest over the top… and my same shorts. Old habits died hard, I supposed. But at least I was more into shoes now, and I wore black high-tops most of the time. They were comfy and sturdy enough to fight in, at least.

As I continued, throwing tomorrow's outfit inside my duffel bag, I searched for my white tank top that I usually slept in. My other night shirts were all in the wash, so if I didn't find it soon I might just be chilling at Maka's in a sports bra. Though that did sound slightly appealing, with the heat and all, I figured the other girls would prefer I and my six-pack to stay sheathed (for pride reasons, you see).

"Black*Star, have you seen my tank top?"

My meister poked his head into my room, looking sheepish. "I was doing laundry."

Warning bells went off in my head and I raised an eyebrow, asking for an explanation.

"I was doing the laundry," he started again, "And I accidentally put a throwing star in the dryer."

A throwing star?

"You can just wear one of mine!"

He disappeared as I was still attempting to process the throwing star. By the time my mind had worked past that, I landed on what he had said next and my face went red. Wear one of his shirts? Before I could even say anything a piece of orange fabric hit me full-on in the face. I squeaked in shock, snatching it as it fell. My embarrassment wouldn't allow me to meet his eyes, so I bashfully muttered my thanks and stuffed it in my bag. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Black*Star rub his neck awkwardly, a blush staining his cheeks as well.

But this was normal, right? I mean, it wasn't as if we were officially dating, but we'd kissed. We lived together. Normal roommates had each other's backs. Especially if they were more-than-friends roommates. This was when doubts and hopes began to war inside my head: what if I had misread him? What if he and Tsubaki kissed after successful missions too? Somehow, that made my chest hurt worse. It wasn't like I was still denying my feelings anymore – I was _way _past that – but I was so unsure in this whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend' thing.

I cleared my throat, still unable to face him. "Uh, thanks for that."

"Don't mention it."

Twiddling my thumbs, I turned and leaned on the footboard, biting my lip and analyzing the wall next to my meister. "You're going to Kid's?"

And just like that, we were back in comfortable territory. Black*Star grinned and gave me a thumbs up, "Yeah! We're gonna' play video games, and I'm totally gonna' beat the sonofabitch!"

I sniggered. "Right, that's what you said last time! Just don't throw the controller at the TV again, okay? We could barely afford the replace the last one!"

"That was one time!" He pouted, crossing his arms.

"You sent it through the wall!" I pointed out, trying to control my laughter.

He smirked, flexing. "Well, when you have big muscles like mine, you're bound to break some things."

"Yeah, like your head!" I snorted.

It felt good, to laugh with him. Soon I glanced at the time and realized it was nearly time for me to be at Maka's, so I stood and shouldered my duffel bag. Black*Star followed me out, picking up his own bag from the couch. I was slightly surprised that he had already packed, but I didn't say anything. The last time I had pointed out how he was getting better at taking care of himself, he stopped making dinner. Not that he ever made _good _dinner, but ramen had always been fine with me – even if it was a little crispy.

"At least it's cooling down," I noted as we walked, inspecting the pink sky. The sun was descending behind the buildings on the West side of town, and I could see the sneering moon rising in the East.

Black*Star grunted in agreement, his hands in his pockets as he all but swaggered down the street. Girls swooned as we walked by, and I only wished I could stop and tell them how absolutely childish, arrogant, and infuriating he could be. Didn't they know appearance wasn't everything?

"I've been thinking," Black*Star said quietly.

I glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds dangerous. Maybe you really did break your head?" Huffing a bit, I struggled to keep up. My legs were just enough shorter than his so that I had to really stretch to stay with him.

Noticing this, he slowed down. "Moving into an apartment might not be so bad, you know? It's not like we don't have the money for it. And being Soul and Maka's neighbors could be pretty cool."

I studied his face for a moment and, seeing his grin, smiled as well. "I would really like that. A place of our own." He looked at me strangely for a moment before nodding and stopping abruptly.

"Here's where I drop you off!" He smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "Now be a good girl and don't get into any pillow fights, alright?"

"I can take them!" I joked, flexing my bicep.

Black*Star laughed and, in a move that surprised us both, he stepped closer and folded me into a hug. For several seconds I stood there, rigid with shock, before slowly I began warming up to what was occurring. My arms tentatively came to wrap around him, my face pressed against his collarbone in a way that was not at all uncomfortable. A short breath allowed me a whiff of his scent: musky, with the slight tang of sweat. It was entirely him and – though the B.O. mixed in wasn't something I preferred – it was appealing. Within me, the darker side of my soul shifted in agreement.

"I should get going," I stepped back, blushing furiously and trying to hide it.

"Yeah, me too," he blushed.

I waved as he began walking down the street, pausing at the crosswalk and turning back. He tossed me a smirk and a wave before continuing on his way. To avoid standing there watching him, I quickly turned and leapt up the stairs to Maka and Soul's apartment. With any luck no one would have seen that encounter. As I walked up to knock on their door it burst open, a smirking Liz standing in the doorway.

"Well, well, well! Look what the great Black*Star left here for us! The way you two were hugging out there I thought he might just take you with him!"

Obviously I had no luck.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I brushed past her, trying not to act as flustered as I knew I was.

"The _hugging_?" Liz cried, catching my arm and pulling me into the living room where Maka was already being tortured by Patty. The Thompson sisters had, currently, no boyfriends. Liz had a huge crush on the meister that she had been with in Australia – and they kept in contact – and Maka and I suspected that Patty wouldn't be ready for a guy for a long time. Her obsession with death and giraffes was just disconcerting to most people.

"Who was hugging?" Patty screeched, tugging roughly on the strands of hair she was braiding. Maka winced and I gave her an apologetic look, quickly dropping my bag out of the way and plopping onto the couch beside her. "Was there a giraffe?"

"No, there were no giraffes, Patty." Liz told her sister with an eye roll. "Black*Star and Kai were just hugging outside."

"What's the big deal?" I huffed, frowning. "People hug all the time!"

"Yeah, _people _do. But not you and Black*Star!" Patty giggled, quickly taking her sister's side. "You guys just sit _really _close."

"There's a distinct lack of PDA that I would have expected from a couple by now," Liz mused with a malicious grin. "It makes me wonder what you do when you're alone!"

I let out a frantic, garbled protest that sounded more like a pig's squeal than any human dialect. My face immediately flamed. "No, no, no! We don't do anything like _that_! We don't do anything at all!"

"Nothing?"

I shook my head spastically, "No!"

Liz raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I would have thought you two would at least be making out by now. What's the hold-up?"

Instead of answering, I turned to Maka. "Is she always like this at sleepovers?"

The blonde meister sighed and nodded, batting Patty's hands away and finishing the braid herself. "They both are. You get used to it. Eventually they get tired."

Eventually?

"Black*Star and I aren't really a couple, Liz," I said in way of answer, running a hand through my hair.

"What? But I was so sure! You two kissed during the rescue, didn't you?"

It was getting harder and harder to keep my cool. Embarrassment always made me angry, and talking about my feelings was often worse. If Liz didn't stop soon she might just be leaving the sleepover early – in an ambulance.

"Why don't we lay off Kai for a little while?" Maka suggested, "We can change into our pajamas!"

"Yay! Pajamas!" Patty leapt off the couch and sprinted out of the room, closely followed by her older sister. I let out a sigh of relief and thanked my friend.

"Don't mention it!" She chirped, "Bathroom is down the hall for you to change!" She exited the room and went down the hall to change in her bedroom. I crossed the floor and unzipped my duffel bag, snatching the orange tank top from the top and then my black shorts. After Liz and Patty had finished, I quickly slipped inside the bathroom and changed. The tank top was a little baggy, but after a brief sniff I realized that, yes, it was clean. And it even smelled like him. I hugged myself lightly, admiring how it looked on me. It wasn't anything special, but it was _his_, and that resonated with my. My soul quivered in happiness.

Then, of course, I realized how stupid I sounded and left the bathroom with a lingering feeling of annoyance at my girlish behavior.

The other three were already in the living room, and someone had set up for our movie night. The coffee table was moved out of the way and a large, comfy-looking blanket was spread out with a bunch of pillows. A few bowls of popcorn were sitting nearby, along with a few large boxes of candy. Maka certainly had prepared for tonight.

"The Milk Duds are for you, Kai!" Maka smiled, "I noticed how much you liked them last time I brought some to school so I bought you a box!"

"Thank you," I blinked, surprised by her generosity. I was still getting used to the idea of having such close friends. Those who I had been close with at the DWMAA had never really clicked with me, probably because I was holding back so many secrets. This friendship with Maka, Liz, and Patty was different, I realized as I looked at all of their happy faces. Our bond was stronger than any friendship I had experienced before.

"Hey, isn't that Black*Star's?" Liz asked, her mouth full of Skittles.

"Yeah!" Patty agreed, accidentally spilling her box of Sour Patch Kids into her popcorn bowl. "He wears that to play basketball all the time!"

I glanced down at the orange t-shirt, noticed the black symbols on the front, and my perpetual blush deepened. At this point, I was done attempting to hide the blush, and I wasn't hopeful that it was going to be leaving my face any time soon. "There was an incident with a throwing star, so I had to borrow his."

Liz scrunched up her face. "I don't even want to know."

"Hey, guys?" Maka asked from beside the TV. "What movie should we watch?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's watch Planet of the Apes!" Patty chuckled darkly. "I love violent monkeys!"

"How about The Notebook?" Liz grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

More and more I was filled with regret at this whole sleepover thing.

"I don't really care," fiddling with my Milk Duds, I took a tentative seat on the blanket and eyed Liz warily. She had gotten a wicked look in her eyes and, as Maka dropped a movie into the DVD player, she dove across the room and grabbed the remote – turning off the TV

"I have a better idea than watching movies!"

Dread filled me.

"Let's visit the boys!"

(Author's Note: Okay, so a little bit fluffy. Well.. as fluffy as Kai and Black*Star will ever be. Action should start soon - I swearz it! Aaand a quick shout out to MintyMintMints, because your review made my day, and to my anonymous Guest. You, sir/madame, make me a very happy fanfic author! Alright: review, favorite, and follow! Happy reading!)


	3. Chapter 3: Kai

Chapter Three: Kai: Party Crashing; is there Any Way This Could Go Wrong?

"This is a bad idea!" Maka whispered as we walked up the drive to Death the Kid's mansion. Liz was leading the group of us four girls, with Patty skipping close behind her. Maka and I trailed warily behind the two sisters and did our best to convince them of the idiocy of what we were doing. More and more I wished that I had just bluffed an opinion on my movie preferences and appeased Liz with my vote for The Notebook.

"Come on, Maka! You'll get to see Soul! Besides, I'll bet all they're doing is playing video games and making fart jokes."

"Somehow, I doubt that Crona is making fart jokes." I commented drily, dragging my feet.

Liz paused, "You have a good point."

"And Kid is probably trying to fix a painting…" Patty giggled.

"Or fold the toilet paper…"

"Or straighten the rug….

"Or arrange the refrigerator magnets…"

"Or clean up after Black*Star!" They finished together, cackling at their joke.

My face fell as we grew closer to the front door, each step closer feeling like a step closer to total embarrassment and awkwardness. What exactly were Liz and Patty hoping to accomplish by doing this? I would rather fight a kishin than crash a boy's sleepover.

Seriously.

If a kishin popped out of the bushes right now, I would just throw myself at it.

"You know what?" Liz stopped walking, turning towards the rest of us. The door was literally five feet away from her and I was still hoping that she would change her mind so I could return to my Milk Duds. "We probably should have changed out of our pajamas first."

Patty looked down at her pink pajamas, covered in giraffes, and giggled. Liz and Maka looked slightly more appealing: Maka in her two-piece green set and Liz in a suspiciously lingerie-like babydoll nightgown. I brought up the rear, according to the rules of attractive sleepwear, with my outfit. I looked like I was about ready to go play a game of hoops.

"Oh well!" Patty sang, skipping up to the door and walking inside. "Hey Kid!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Liz and I forgot some stuff so we brought the girls!"

"What the hell, Patty! I told you this was my night to have the house to myself!" Kid appeared from the hallway, scowling. Lord Death's son sported a plain black t-shirt paired with a pair of black pajamas pants that were decorated with little white skulls. I snickered at the irony, earning me a gold-eyed glare – as if he knew what I was thinking. He studied me for a minute with his intense gaze and then, out of nowhere, asked, "Is that Black*Star's shirt?"

The blush returned.

"Maka?" Soul joined Kid in the hallway, grinning when he saw his meister. "Hey, cool of you guys to show up!"

"See, I _told _you this was a good idea!" Liz laughed at Maka's giddy expression.

Slowly I followed the others inside, closing the door behind me and looking around. I had never been to Kid's house before, but the black and white décor was pleasing to the eye. The amount of symmetry was almost too much, however, and I had an intense urge to run around and mess everything up. I now knew why Black*Star was always creating such a mess for Death the Kid: he had some major OCD problems. Hell, I wanted to tip the painting just to see his reaction. It made me wonder just at what expense Kid went to so that his OCD didn't bother him. I felt slightly bad for making fun of the young Death God, then. To be chained by something so trivial when you had the power of Death at your fingertips; it was almost ironic.

"What are you guys doing here?" Black*Star bounded into the room, sliding to a stop in his socks. Crona peeked around the door frame behind him, huge dark eyes darting around the room before he quickly shuffled to Maka's side, twiddling his thumbs nervously. Kid, sensing that we were planning on staying for more than just a quick pick-up, began ushering us all into the living room with a perturbed huff that made me laugh a bit. Quickly, Team Maka settled in the couches, and we all occupied ourselves with playing video games together – as Liz had predicted. The fart jokes, however, were kept to a minimum in the presence of the females.

Sitting by Black*Star's side, utterly dominating the rest of our friends in a game of tag-team Halo, I felt content. It almost seemed like nothing could go wrong. Hell, I know I'm just inviting disaster by saying it, but for once in my life everything felt like it was going well. I had a meister that, despite what I had first thought about him, I was falling for. I had friends, and we were closer than I had ever been with anybody. I was well on my way to becoming a Death Scythe (even though we had failed on our witch hunt a few weeks ago).

For a girl who had lived with a kishin inside of her, it seemed almost too good. Looking around at my friends, a weird feeling began to dominate my stomach again. Something seemed to be hovering on the edge of my perception, something dark and complex. My own madness perked up, aiding my senses as I cast out my own (budding) Soul Perception. Stein had discovered that I possessed this ability during a lesson when I had first come here and since then I had been stretching it to its limit. Today, however, it did its job. Everything was normal in Death City.

It was strange. The last time I had felt like this was last year, during the Exchange Program. Then, however, I had mirrors breaking all around me – enough evidence to send anybody with half a brain into curiosity. Now, I had nothing except for a bitter taste in my mouth and my new sixth sense tingling.

"Kai, is everything alright?" Maka asked, piercing my thoughts.

I grunted, "Huh? Oh, yeah. Just thinking."

"The Games?" Soul interjected with a smirk, his sharp teeth flashing as he blasted another avatar on the screen. "They sound cool."

"Yeah!" Patty cheered, throwing her hands in the air with a giraffe stuffed animal clenched in her fist.

Kid's golden eyes glinted in the low light, fastening on me as if he knew that the Games hadn't at all been what I was talking about, but he also went along with it. "My father has certainly come up with a decent idea this time. I'm rather interested to see how it will turn out."

"I know how it's going to turn out!" Black*Star grinned smugly, puffing out his chest as his character shot Soul's. "Kai and I are going to win! No one can compare to a god!"

"No," Kid scoffed, eyes narrowing, "No one _can_."

"Take it easy, Kiddo-kun!" Liz patted the young Shinigami on the head, calming his competitive streak as she messed up his less-than-symmetrical hair.

"Yeah, take it easy!" I teased, snickering. "Your defeat will come soon enough!"

The Death God shook his head, fixing his hair and doing his best to look annoyed. I, however, could see the hint of a smile lingering on the corners of his mouth. In the time that I had been here, my skills of people observation had quickly given me the ability to puzzle out Kid, and in turn earn his friendship. Though my inability to be symmetrical gave him a nosebleed every once and a while, our relationship had since lost the tense feelings that had grown after my unintentional betrayal. I was glad that he and I could be friends now, because having a Shinigami as an enemy wasn't something I desired.

"But seriously, I wonder why we're doing it now?" Maka mused, folding her legs crisscross and biting on her thumb nail. "It's been a few months since things have all settled down. Why is Lord Death choosing now to start the Games?"

"Who knows why he does anything?" I muttered, glancing at the screen as, yet again, Black*Star bested Soul. "He's Lord Death, he can do what he wants."

"But there has to be a _reason_!" Maka insisted, her green eyes full of her trademark determined curiosity. "Kid?"

"My father has a habit of keeping things to himself," Death the Kid shrugged, at a loss at what to tell the meister. "Though I would admit the timing seems odd, the program itself seems like it might be interesting. I'm curious to see who ends up at the top."

Black*Star laughed loudly, nearly dropping his controller in his fit of laughter. "Do you really have to ask? I will!"

"This is serious, Black*Star." I frowned at my meister, nudging him with my shoulder to show him my sincerity. "We don't know what kind of meisters or weapons we'll be facing. Of course, Tsubaki and Snow are going to make it…" Earlier, before we had left, the girls and I had made a call to our friends in Africa and confirmed the Games. Tsubaki and her partner had been invited to participate, and their team of eight had accepted. I was excited to see the black-haired girl, and hoped to patch up our relationship before the Games were over. It was true that we hadn't exactly been on the best of terms last year, what with her love for Black*Star and my being a kishin…

"I was being serious," Black*Star's eyes narrowed, and he turned to look at me, studying my face. My mouth was set in a grim line, my eyebrows low over my eyes in a stern expression. Though I did believe that he and I had the ability to do well in the competition, I felt that being too overconfident was constantly our downfall. It was what had been our Achilles' heel in the witch fight: we had jumped into the match quickly, and without a plan, and before we knew it found ourselves overwhelmed by a witch we hadn't known was so powerful. I was doing my best not to be bitter or angry – or at least not to blame Black*Star – but I couldn't help but hold a slight bit of resentment towards his arrogant ways at times.

"I don't think we can just say we're going to win something like this," I shook my head, not meeting his eyes anymore. "We're strong, all of us are, but you know there's always someone stronger. There's always an opponent we haven't faced yet."

Black*Star leaned away, hurt. "Well… I'm a big star so… they better be ready!"

His response fell flat and made no sense, but the rest of the group pretended our exchange hadn't happened and we all went back to having fun. My worries, however, would not leave me alone. I felt anxious and moody, and soon I found myself driven to the porch in need of some fresh air. As I stepped out into the night, I felt a little bit calmer, and took a seat on the steps.

The door opened and closed behind me, and a figure sat on the steps.

"It's just his nature," Death the Kid sighed, taking in my grim expression. "He means no harm."

I shut my eyes and pressed my fingers into them, resting my elbows on my knees. "I know he doesn't mean any harm, but his arrogance is part of the reason we lost against that witch. And I'm not saying I'm not arrogant, it's just that he pushes the limits sometimes. If we keep walking into fights, completely unprepared, expecting to win, I…" I trailed off, shutting my mouth quickly against my fears.

"You're afraid one of you won't come back?" Kid guessed.

"Yeah," I let out a deep breath, studying the ground before me. "It scares me. Lord Death and Stein both agree that most other meisters wouldn't be able to handle Kishin Blade, and not only that but… Black*Star is…" I searched for the right words, struggling, and then said: "He's very important to me." Blushing, I clenched my fist and reassured myself. _It wasn't a confession!_

Then why the hell did it feel like one?

And why did Kid look like he was feeling as awkward as I was?

"Have you told him?" He asked quietly, looking up at the stars.

"If he can't tell, he's more stupid than we all thought!" I rolled my eyes, a frown returning as my thoughts turned to the Games again. I was really looking forward to going, but I was worried about the outcome. What would Black*Star do if we lost? Quickly changing the subject, I asked the Shinigami what he thought about the upcoming event. At first, Kid was silent as he thought, and the air was filled with the sound of wind and chirping crickets. When Kid finally spoke I was almost startled, but quickly remembered my companion.

"Black*Star is more resilient than we give him credit for," He rested his chin on his fist, staring out into the night. "I think you're right though. Losing something like this could have quite an impact on his self-esteem. It will be interesting to see how all of this ends."

I snorted, "It might just end up with him in a mental hospital!"

As we laughed, we both fell into our own thoughts, both centered around one thing:

The Games.

(Author's Note: Alright, excuse time: it's been crazy at school, which is such an over-used excuse I feel like a broken record when I say it, but... high school is a royal pain in the arse! Anyways, I also had some major writer's block with this chapter, but I finally got through all the boring filler/fluff stuff, so next chapter we get to start up the plot! Yay! I'm hoping to update soon, but next week is finals week soo... we'll see. I'll do my best, ducklings! Review, favorite, follow!)


	4. Chapter 4: Kai

Chapter Four: Kai: Arriving at the Games; Who the Hell is This?

Exactly a week later, life found me in a very different situation.

It was still hotter than hell, thanks to our cheerful friend in the sky, Mr. Demonic Sun. I glared at the offensive face for a moment before shoving another cardboard box through the door. As it had turned out, there had been a vacancy in Maka and Soul's building, and my meister and I had quickly jumped on the opening and were just finishing moving all of our things in. All that was set up in the house was a single mirror, floor-to-ceiling, about two people wide. We would be needing it later that day for transportation to the Land of Mirrors where Lord Death resided, and where the opening ceremony of the Games would commence. I was slightly nervous, seeing as I had nearly died last time I had been there during the Exchange Program ball, but I felt rather certain that there wouldn't be any homicidal witches attending this event.

Wiping away sweat with the back of my hand, I surveyed our work. Though it had been exhausting, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment as I looked around the apartment. It was the perfect size: two bedrooms, one bathroom – just like what I had lived in when I resided in America.

Black*Star walked in, shutting the door behind him and basking in the cool air. One perk to living in this building was that each apartment came with a working air conditioner. We'd had the machine on full-blast all day and the atmosphere inside was cool enough to nearly make me shiver. For a moment, I basked in the chill, looking around the room at all of the boxes lying around before settling on the couch for a moment of rest.

To say that I was happy that my meister had finally agreed to get a new place was an understatement: I was ecstatic. Black*Star, however, still seemed uneasy. He was oddly silent while we were moving our things, and I hadn't heard one self-confident phrase from him all day.

"I'm glad we finally got all of those boxes in," he muttered, breaking the silence. I met his eyes with a grin and nodded.

"Now we can get ready for another dinner with Lord Death!" I cheered, halfway sarcastic and halfway sincere, salivating at the thought of actual food. "I'm just glad I got that whole shopping thing out of the way before today."

The assassin laughed at my look of disgust, nearly falling out of his chair. It was no secret that I still despised shopping. Despite Liz's best efforts, I still found it a boring task. With her help, however, the shopping had been relatively… well, not pain-free, but short at least. Though it felt like a hundred dresses had been shoved at me, Liz decided on a black one rather quickly and – at least this time – I couldn't say anything bad about it. The black lace dress looked superb on me, though it felt strange to be wearing something so fancy. The top was built like a corset, much like my previous gown, but it had a strap that went around my neck. Liz called the skirt 'a flowing high-low' and said that it 'accented my killer legs'.

And here I thought it was my _blade _that was killer.

With a sigh, I relaxed in the cool air again, relishing a moment of calm before I would have to leave. Somehow I had been roped into getting ready with the rest of the girls at Kid's mansion (because apparently the size of the bathroom made a difference) while all the boys were going to get ready at our new apartment. I had a feeling that things were probably going to get a little rowdy so I had already put all of my important things in my room, and locked the door. Everything was prepared for my departure, so I had a good half an hour before even had to start thinking about going to Maka's.

I was looking forward to some more girl time like we'd had at the sleepover – however brief the boy-free moments were. Maka was a surprisingly genuine person, and I found myself admiring her more as we grew closer as friends. Liz and Patty were strong in their own right, and knowing their back-story now, I couldn't help but hold a sort of reverence for my new found circle. I mean, being the one and only Kishin Blade certainly said a bit about my strength, but two of my closest friends were Death the Kid's pistols! Even if they were relentless in their inspection of my relationship with Black*Star.

Glancing over at the bluenette, I studied him for a moment while deep in thought. It was true that we weren't overly affectionate – and I was seriously okay with that – but all the same, doubts had begun creeping in ever since the girls and I had walked back to Maka's home after a late night of beating the guys at video games. Liz had pointed out that we weren't even acting the same around each other anymore, almost like whatever had given us the tension before was gone.

_"__You mean, you haven't noticed?" Liz had questioned, almost tripping over herself in shock._

_"__Leave her alone, Liz!" Maka had sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "Maybe that's just their thing!"_

_Liz had given me a long, hard look before shrugging and turning away. "I guess."_

"Hey, Black*Star?" I asked curiously.

My meister merely grunted in acknowledgment, and I took that as a sign to continue with my question: "Are we…" Biting my lip nervously, I refused to sound like a middle-school girl confessing. Clenching my fist, I faced him with a determined expression, and blurted out my question. "What am I to you, Black*Star?"

For once in his life, Black*Star's innocence failed him. I could tell the second that he understood what I was asking, and a second later he could see the regret on my face after I felt his soul's reaction. It was an immediate wince, a shot to my pride, as the presence of him retreated from mine as if hiding. It took everything I had not to let my face crumple in disappointment: though I hadn't felt anything concrete, his reaction was more than enough to prove-

My train of thought halted as suddenly he initiated a stronger resonance, our minds and bodies heightening their awareness of each other. Our level of power made the resonance even more intimate. If I focused my energies on him, I could feel the heat prickling on his skin, the uncomfortable layer of sweat that stuck his shirt to his abdomen. The way his heart pounded with nervousness when I asked questions that he couldn't answer out loud because, well, he was a god and he had an ego to protect after all (at least, that's the reason he thrust into my mind, but I could tell it was shyness)! Most of all, I could feel the overwhelming sense of pride in me as his weapon, and the warmth of adoration towards me in general. Immediately I began blushing, dazed by the onslaught of connection, wondering how exactly other meister/weapon pairs kept themselves with falling in love with their partners if we were capable of this kind of connection.

"How the hell did we do that?" I asked, startled, breaking off the connection.

Black*Star just gaped at me in response, continuing his day of unusual silence. Not bothering to say a word I got up and escaped to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me with a soft click. Whatever answer he had been going to give, I had not been prepared for that. More than ever, I was ready to prove myself with him in the Games. I was still afraid of the possibility of loss but at the same time I was assured. Our bond had grown stronger still since we had faced Warren, armed with Armageddon. As a pair our power had increased steadily through training. Sparring with Kid, you probably couldn't see the difference, but all the same… we were ready for the challenge. I knew it in my gut, though the feeling was still accompanied by a sense of foreboding.

His arrogance, I knew, would get us into trouble. I worried for his ability to keep focus during a battle if our opponent insulted his pride, which was often the case with Kid. The second that Black*Star felt that his honor was being judged he stopped strategizing and went for brute force which, though being a Claymore definitely supported this style, being anything else did not. Black*Star didn't seem to understand my need for balance, and that irritated me beyond belief.

Here I am, not three minutes after he's all but dropped the 'L' word, and I'm thinking about his annoying traits.

Rubbing my face tiredly, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. Cool grey eyes reflected back at me, framed by my strange wine-red hair color. My skin, though darker than most of the people I was around nowadays, had lost a bit of its tan in the while that I had been here. I would need to find a time to go on a mission somewhere sunny or I might end up looking like Kid! Chuckling at the image, I splashed some water on my face to get rid of some of the sweat, and glanced at the time. It seemed to be moving quickly – I had ten minutes to be at Maka's – but my embarrassment at having bared my emotions drove me to go to the blond meister's apartment early. As I exited my bathroom, I swiftly unlocked my door and grabbed up my dress and, with disgust, my heels.

Throwing them both over my shoulder, I walked past Black*Star to get to the front door. "I'm going to head over to Maka's!"

"Don't get lost on the way there!" The assassin snorted, raising an eyebrow in my direction as he continued lounging on the chair. "I hope you don't need a big star like me to help you out!"

Shaking my head, I twisted the knob to leave. "Yeah, because walking across the hall is so difficult!" I rolled my eyes, mockingly flipping him the bird, and stepping out into the hallway.

* * *

Two hours later.

Two hours of hair cutting, eyebrow tweezing, polish-fume breathing, and general discomfort on my part. Maka, at least, seemed to be accustomed to dressing up for things. I, for one, hadn't enjoyed a minute of it. Not even the foot massage before my pedicure.

Alright, so I might have lied about that last part.

Looking in the mirror now, I could positively say that it was worth it. The pain and suffering had turned me into a semi-presentable demonstration of the female gender, and I could tell that Liz was pleased with her handiwork. She had right to be. Even though I wasn't the type of girl to get all fancy and dressed up, even _I_ could see that she had a knack for make-up and hair design. My unruly mess of hair had turned into a slightly less unruly cut that, probably by request of Kid, was only slightly more symmetrical than my last. The bangs that I had now tilted only slightly to the right side of my face, giving me a more innocent look than the previous long side-swept cut had.

I sighed, running my fingers through the rest of it, feeling out the layers that she'd put in. At first I hadn't trusted her with scissors, but then she had threatened to give Patty the scissors and I knew that I was going to have to choose the better of two evils. It turned out surprisingly well.

Clapping her hands with glee, Liz was practically glowing with excitement. "You look amazing, Kai!"

Only slightly disgruntled – I couldn't be too annoyed when I looked this good – I shrugged and silently thanked Death that she had at least stuck with black and red for my color scheme. The dark colors at least made me feel slightly comfortable in the get-up. With a sigh, I tugged at it slightly and glanced at the mirror once last time before turning in time for Maka to enter the room. The ash-blond meister had gone with a sophisticated white number, accenting her green eyes.

It was nearly time to depart, and we were all dolled up and ready to go. I was just itching to get to the fighting, and to meet the competition. My nerves were driving me nearly to insanity by the time we all headed over to my new apartment to use our mirror. I quickly let myself in, glancing around to find the living room empty. The apartment smelled heavily of boy's cologne and, as we entered, I sniffed out and tried to separate the different scents. After a few seconds, however, the silence became slightly disturbing. I raised an eyebrow at the other girls, who all shrugged, and we all began slowly making our way down the hallway. After wiggling the handle to my room, I assured myself that no one had gotten into my room, but Black*Star's door was closed as well. Slowly I began approaching the door, slightly worried about what I would find behind the door.

Knocking lightly, I listened for any sounds that would mean people were inside, but there was nothing. Suspicious, I slowly turned the knob and peeked inside. After a moment, I snickered and moved aside to show the other girls: Black*Star, Kid, Soul, and Crona were all asleep in various positions in the room. Black*Star was sprawled across his bed, while Kid was asleep in his chair – drooling. Crona had curled up in the corner in the fetal position, snoring softly. Soul had taken up residence on the end of the bed, his feet and his head hanging off either end. They made quite the comical scene.

"It's time to go," Liz grinned. "Should we wake them up?"

I smirked evilly, a plan forming. "Patty, why don't you do the honors? The rest of us will wait in the living room."

Patty cackled, and the last thing I saw of her as we shut the door was her creeping up on Kid while the sleeping Shinigami continued resting. I could only imagine what she was going to do to them…

"That was horrible, Kai!" Maka chuckled, shooting me a smile. I shrugged, listening intently while we settled down onto various couches and chairs. Boxes still everywhere, stacked against walls. The only part that was clear was where the mirror was propped. While we waited in silence I attempted to tamp down my pre-fight excitement and appear calm and confident, when all I wanted to do was be training. It was nerve-wracking!

However, when the boys began yelling and their stomping feet flew down the hallway, I couldn't help but start laughing. Black*Star was at the front of the group, but clipped one of the boxes one his way into the living room and tumbled to the ground, which caused a massive dog pile. Laughing so hard in a dress as tight as mine shouldn't have been possible, but I was gasping for breath by the time my meister was finally able to detangle himself from the rest and stand. His blue hair was even more messed up than usual, but all the same he looking quite handsome in his fancy clothes. Just like the Exchange Program ball, he had ditched the suit jacket and wore just the vest, dress shirt, and pants instead.

He, of course, ruined the image by opening his mouth: "Who the hell sent the demon in there? A big star needs his rest, you know!"

I snorted, stood up, and hooked my thumb towards the mirror. "Sorry to interrupt your beauty-sleep, boys, but it's time to head out!"

* * *

The Land of Mirrors was just as I had remembered it – minus the blood-thirsty witch. When we stepped out of our transport, I noticed that all of the broken mirrors had been fixed. The room seemed brighter in general, though that might have been the product of the ominous, yet cartoonishly dressed, Death god who was greeting us. When he saw Kid, Lord Death hopped right over and waved on strangely large, blocky hand at us all in greeting.

"Hiya!"

"Father, can you please try to act dignified?" Kid asked with an eye roll. I managed not to mention that he had been sleeping in the opposite of a dignified manner not half an hour ago. "This is a serious event."

"You betcha, Kiddo!" Death saluted – though I couldn't tell if he was mocking his son or being sincere. With the mask it was hard to tell. He then bounced off to another mirror, where another group of eight teens were beginning to emerge.

"We'd better go get seated," Kid sighed, leading us out into the hall and towards the dining area. "I apologize in advance for my father's antics. He can be a bit… excessive at times."

Patty giggled, nodding, while Liz snorted slightly. Being a student at the DWMA, you got used to Lord Death's eccentrics. There were times when I wondered if he truly was all-powerful like everyone said he was, but when I had brought it up with Maka she had shown me some news coverage of him fighting. Needless to say, I don't very much doubt him anymore. Like father, like son, I suppose.

Glancing at Kid, who is now weaving through the tables with ease in order to find where we're placed, I wonder just how powerful the future Shinigami is. His transformation will be interesting, to say the least.

Lost in thought as I was, I didn't pay attention to who was in my path until I was suddenly bumping into another body. Both of us went sprawling, my heels allowing me no purchase as I slipped to the ground with a surprised grunt. My immediate response was irritation, and I sprang to my feet, teeth bared, as I readied myself for some good old-fashioned pre-preemptive intimidation. Before I could say anything, however, we met eyes and I was shocked into silence. I nearly choked on my own saliva as I stared down into my own face – yet there wasn't a mirror in front of me.

"Oh my Death," the girl gasped, her eyes wide, her voice thick with an Irish lilt.

As she stood, we openly stared at each other. Upon second glance, there were a lot of differences between us. Though we had the same grey eyes, her hair was more of a sunset orange, a large contrast with my blood red locks. Where my skin was dotted with freckles from my training in the sun, her face was smooth and porcelain, and her eyelashes brushed her cheeks softly as she stared back, openly gaping. Only after I noticed that she had flats on instead of heels did I realize that we would be roughly the same height if I were in normal shoes.

All in all, we could have been twins.

"Hey, Kai, we've found our table! Get your ass over here so you can get your sea-"

Black*Star stopped as he noticed the look on my face and followed my gaze, his jaw dropping comically as he stared at my doppelgänger. "Holy shit! She looks like you!"

She winced noticeably at his cursing.

I elbowed him in the gut, frowning. "What the hell, don't cuss!"

"You just cussed!" He griped, confused, but I let it pass as I stuck out my hand.

"I'm Kai Blair, from the DWMA." I grinned as she tentatively shook my hand, matching my smile with a small one of her own. Though she and I obviously shared the same looks, I could already tell she lacked the confidence and attitude that I had. A part of me was still trying to process her standing in front of me but the rest of me tossed it to the side. This was the Games. There would be time to go on a soul-searching hunt for the roots of our seemingly-tied family tree _after_ I beat her ass.

"Merle Titan, EWMAE." She responded.

I took another moment to take in her face, still shocked by our resemblance. "I don't know if you've noticed, but you kinda have my face…"

Merle laughed, covering her mouth with her hand in an oddly polite way that I wrinkled my nose at. Something told me that I would notice more and more differences between our demeanors and personalities the more that I got to know her.

Not that I was planning on getting to know her. No thank you. I had enough family problems to last me a lifetime.

"Or do you have mine?" She questioned, raising a manicured eyebrow, "Now I must bid you adieu. My friends are awaiting my arrival at our table." Her eyes drifted across my face again as she began to drift away from us slowly. "I hope to see you again, Kai Blair. And you as well, Black*Star!"

I nodded once, watching her walk away before following Black*Star's retreating form as he led me towards our table. After arriving, we took our seats next to each other and immediately clued into the conversation before Black*Star jumped in with our interesting tidbit of news. Liz immediately began gushing, planning out our entire discovery and asking when we were going to begin our trip (she obviously had more lofty goals than I did for this), while Maka reacted with much less enthusiasm, though it was much more pure. Kid, however, had his golden eyes narrowed with a mixture of intrigue and suspicion. That small little part of me – call it a conscience or instinct – agreed with his reaction. This was strange, to come here and find a girl that bore a striking resemblance to me, which made my own oblivious meister react.

"Aren't you excited," Liz asked incredulously at one point, questioning my lack of excitement. "You found a twin! A missing sister!"

However pressing it seemed to my blond friend, the situation was pushed to the back of my mind as Lord Death rose up on his pedestal in the middle of the room, similar to the last ball we had attended, and introduced himself and the program. It was pretty straight forward: it would consist of four rounds, the first one being a coliseum fight where we were pretty much all tossed in to fight to the fake death. The second would be a tournament of the survivors, and the third… well, Lord Death said the third round would be a surprise for those still fighting. We all took it in stride, and the tension was quickly eased between the five eight-person tables when the food appeared. Throughout the meal, however, though I was outwardly at ease (I beat Black*Star at another eating contest), something was itching on the edge of my mind. Something was off.

Finally, my own suspicion caught up to me as I analyzed my conversation with Merle.

I had never introduced Black*Star.

And she had called him by name.

* * *

Author's Note: Heya ducklings, sorry for the long wait... long story short is, I survived my junior year of high school! Don't know if I passed Physics but at least I survived. And I had a birthday! So Happy Birthday to me and whatnot! Whoop whoop! One step closer to legal adulthood! *moving on* I am SUPER DUPER sorry for the slow update! I tried to make this chapter longer to make up for it, and you met an important new character! Next chapter will be the beginning of the games and I am seriously excited! And, I would like to quickly send a shout-out to three awesome readers: BrainStormer (sorry for stealing your ideas! Can't wait to read what you have going next!), Komamura's son (You've been reading since pretty much the first chapter of EWME! and I have to give you some serious props for that!) and last but not least, Starlight (Your reviews always help me write!). Even if your name isn't listed, I just want to give a shout out to ALL of you who've reviewed or favorited, or even PM'd me. You guys are all awesome!

So to wrap this up, I will bow and promise a chapter soon, and also will promise faster updates. Thank Death for summer! Have a nice day, ducklings!


	5. Chapter 5: Kai

Chapter Five: Kai: Let the Games Begin; Was That A Flying Pig?

I woke up early the next morning, confused and disoriented. My other half, the kishin side of me, was restless and majorly disturbed for some reason I couldn't understand, so I downed some anti-madness pills to shut her up while I got ready. About halfway through my morning routine, Black*Star shuffled into my room silently, his eyes half-lidded, and plopped into my bed without a word. Noiselessly, I watched him take my spot within the covers and fall right back asleep.

He really was such an odd boy.

Somehow the steady sound of his breathing calmed me more than the medicine had, and even the nagging voice of suspicion had gone away. Last night's ball had gone on forever, probably due to the fact that we had discovered some old friends there. Tsubaki, Snow, Nikolai, and Brie had been ecstatic to see us all, but even more so: my old friends from the DWMAA. Ian, Zack, Rose, Morris, and the twin's meister Bane had all been asked to participate in the games, along with three others I didn't know. Our night had been long, catching up with everyone, and Team Maka hadn't stumbled back through the mirror until well after midnight. If it weren't for the strange feeling resonating through my wavelength I probably would have slept the day away!

I glanced at the clock, mentally noting that we still had five hours until we had to make the return trip through the mirrors for the beginning of the Games – which started at three. Since it was now ten, I figured it was ample time for me to return to my slumber, but there was the obvious and perplexing matter of my meister's bed-stealing. For a few moments I studied his sleeping form, finding amusement in the way he was bundled up in my black, red rose-covered comforter. With a smirk I shook my head, stretching, and conceded silently. He was just too adorable to wake up at the moment, and I was hungry anyways. Food was more important than sleep for now.

Wandering into the kitchen, I frowned at our lack of food. Obviously moving had clouded my usually responsible mind. Shopping would have to wait, however. I would just walk over to Maka and Soul's and see what the ash-blond meister was making for breakfast. Maybe I would get lucky and Blair wouldn't carry out her annoying morning routine with Soul. I could only imagine how Maka could put up with something like that, especially as his girlfriend.

Leaving Black*Star a note on my bedside table, I quickly journeyed across the hall and was surprised when Maka opened the door less than a second after I knocked. The usually neat girl was completely disheveled, and looked extremely annoyed, but ushered me in all the same. She even went as far as to sit me down at the table and put a full plate of steaming pancakes in front of me – before I even said a word. Either this girl knew me better than I thought she did – which was probably true, regardless – or something had gone drastically wrong this morning. I peered at her suspiciously over my breakfast food and raised an eyebrow, staying silent.

"What?" She snapped, though I could tell she was inwardly pouting.

"How's Soul this morning?" I asked innocently, picking up my fork and knife, though it was less about my food and more about my sudden need for protection against her fiery gaze.

She scoffed, glaring at the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. "Hopefully he's still in the closet where I left him."

I stared in utter shock as I processed what she had said. "You locked him in a closet?"

"He was being a jerk!"

"Maka, you don't just lock people in the closet for being jerks!"

And here I thought I was the childish one.

Maka sighed deeply, burying her head in her hands, and it was then that I saw that maybe all was not right in the universe of the dynamic duo. I had grown so used to picturing both of them as this golden, magically strong pair (and couple) that it nearly sent me into shock to realize that they, too, were human. Capable of fights, just like me and my idiot. Concerned, I pushed away my pancakes even when my stomach growled angrily, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder timidly. I wasn't quite sure how to help someone through something like this but I was determined to be there for Maka as I knew that she would be for me, if I ever needed her. In the end, I ended up awkwardly hugging her as she cried, pouring out to me all of her frustration.

Basically, Maka had confronted Blair about her promiscuous behavior this morning after she had given Soul yet another bloody nose. Soul, however, hadn't been so impressed by Maka's efforts to get him out of the torture, and had defended the magical cat. The whole thing had resulted in a fight of epic proportions, ending with Soul being locked in a closet, salty pancakes, and a very clean apartment. It turned out that Maka was a stress cleaner.

After she had cried to me, I had her promise to let Soul out of the closet, and quickly made my escape back to my place across the hall. That had really not been what I was expecting from my visit whatsoever.

Black*Star was still fast asleep in my bed, but by that point I was too drained to care. I set my alarm for noon, pushed my meister over to give myself room, and curled into bed right next to him without a second thought.

"Alright, for the first round of the Games, you will all be thrown into the arena. The sixteen pairs who emerge will be participating in Round Two tomorrow, understood?"

Forty pairs of eyes watched from the hall where we had all arrived from, the mirrors reflecting everyone's faces full of determination. As I glanced around, I spotted Snow and Tsubaki. The pale katana had grown considerably more tan since we had last seen her, and her soft curves had slimmed down somewhat. However, despite these changes, she was still as sweet as ever. When she caught my eye she smiled softly and gave me a small wave, which I returned with a grin. Snow, as well, nodded in my direction discreetly.

I continued gazing around, not really paying attention to what was being said even though I figured it would probably be important later. I would just get Maka to tell me all the important stuff later. Knowing her, she was probably takings notes!

Then again… I glanced over to where her weapon was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking grumpy, yet also strangely cool and aloof as well. Defense mechanism, I supposed. He and Maka were still at odds even now, and I was slightly worried about their resonance today for the Games. Even the smallest of fights could throw off a pair's wavelengths if they weren't careful. It was one of the reasons I was so glad that I could control my wavelength: even if something was going on between Black*Star and I, at least I could calm down enough so that he could still wield me. For them, however, it wasn't that easy. I only hoped that the DWMA's strongest pair would get their differences sorted out soon. There wasn't much time left.

Sighing, I turned back towards Lord Death and spotted another face across the room: Merle. The mysterious girl stared back at me evenly, her eyes almost challenging. Though she seemed nice, something was definetly off about her attitude. Polite, yet cold. Our shared appearance interested me more than I had let Liz know last night. I had been an only child, and my mother had died soon after my birth, so… was it possible that I had a sister? Had my mother given birth to twins? It seemed too surreal; too much like a cheesy low-budget movie. Yet somehow, I was still questioning everything I had ever known about my family.

"Alright! You have ten minutes to prepare for the arena!"

I looked back to Lord Death just as he disappeared out of the room. Without his cheery disposition the room was even tenser than it had been before. Weapons all over were transforming in their meister's hands, preparing. When Black*Star gripped mine, I didn't hesitate to follow suit, and soon a Scottish Claymore was resting heavily in his hands. As he stretched, getting used to the weight of me in his hand, I couldn't help but be reminded of the first few weeks of our partnership. As an assassin my heavy weaponry had been a huge change for him and for days we had fought because of it. Now he was completely at ease with me, not pausing even as our soul wavelengths connected and fell into their rhythm. Even without a strong resonance it was obvious that we were a strong team and I couldn't help but feel a spot of pride when I noticed that some people had stopped to watch us warm up.

_"__See that?"_ I thought to my meister somewhat smugly, still keeping my ego in check. _"This is a good sign, but also a bad one. We'll be targets, Black*Star."_

"Let them try and take on a big star like me!" My meister smirked, finally lowering my tip to the ground and allowing me to transform into a Scottish Dirk so he could show off some more.

_"__We may be strong, but it doesn't mean we don't have to fight smart!" _I argued, somewhat irritated.

For once, Black*Star listened. He paused in his movements with a sigh and nodded in agreement. "I know, I know. And with you to guide me, I'm sure we're going to kick ass!"

_"__Flattery will get you nowhere," _I appeared in my blade, smirking at him from within my reflection, and he grinned back.

A few more minutes and we were all filing out of the hall, on our way out into the arena. In my human form, I took stock of our friends. Liz, Patty, and Kid were all wearing similar masks of indifference, though Patty's did border on insanity when she occasionally grinned at the other candidates. Crona was walking solemnly, slightly hunched over as Ragnarok yanked at his hard. Those around him were staring curiously and there was a circle of space between him and the other students as if they were afraid to get too close – which wouldn't surprise me. The way that the Dark Weapon was beating up on the pink-haired meister was a little too vicious to be classified as playful.

Maka and Soul, however, weren't doing so hot. Watching them try and resonate while we waited was painful for the whole team. Maka's now-scorched gloves massaged her bicep slowly, betraying her aching muscles. Beside her Soul was looking pained – yet the two weren't speaking – and there was enough distance between them to fit Black*Star's ego.

"Whats up with Soul?" Black*Star asked, wrinkling his nose. I scoffed at my oh-so-observant meister and shook my head.

"He and Maka have been fighting since this morning. Did you really not notice?"

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he shakes his head.

Snorting, I focus on getting _us _through the first round. Some of the other partners look pretty beefed up, though I'm sure Black*Star can take them. I just hope that Maka and Soul don't get too roughed up before they get their shit figured out.

Soon the hallway splits into five different branches, each labeled with a different location of the DWMA. My group headed down the main channel, silently. The only sound was our footsteps. The dull grey walls gave it a strangely claustrophobic feel. Biting my lip softly, I unconsciously reached for Black*Star's hand, and began to blush furiously when he laced out fingers together. A glance at him revealed that I wasn't the only one that was blushing.

Finally, there was a door at the end of the hall. Nervously Kid glanced back at all of us before pushing it open, and one by one we followed close behind. Inside, it was spacious, and decorated a lot like a game room. There was a large TV on one wall, surrounded by a sofa and several comfy-looking recliners. On the opposite wall there stood a large mirror, a series of numbers written on top in permanent marker. Lord Death had already explained that these mirrors were set up so that all we had to do was breath over the numbers and it would open up into the arena, and we would know when it was time when the green light next to the top right corner of the reflective surface began shining. So far it was dark so we took some time to explore the room.

Besides the TV and living room area, there was also a kitchen and a few rooms with cots in them, supposedly for quick naps in between fights. The rooms smelled slightly of paint and plaster so I deduced that they had been built recently, expressly for the Games. I wondered why Lord Death had gone to all this expense to set up a team room for the competitors, but all the same I appreciated the gesture. The Shinigami didn't often act like he had a load of thoughts about humans and their needs, but this showed great improvement in that area.

"Looks like Lord Death set everything up," Soul commented in his low voice, red eyes smirking. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah," Liz agreed in awe, glancing around. But you can't expect much else from Lord Death."

I hummed in agreement, glancing back at the mirror just as the light suddenly flashed green. With a wild grin I pulled Black*Star over to the mirror and bounced on the balls of my feet in anticipation as I waited for all the others to line up behind us. Those few seconds that it took for them all to cross the room were nearly agonizing and I could tell Black*Star was feeling it too. Already the pre-fight adrenaline was coursing through my veins. There was no way, with the amount of hype we were feeling, that we could be beaten. Not unless Death the Kid decided to go traitor on us.

Taking a deep breath, I let it all out. The mirror misted under my mouth, covering the letters as the glass began glowing slightly. The faint shadow of our destination gave nothing away, and I had to hold myself back to wait for Black*Star to go forward. We shared a look, both grinning, and then plunged through.

The mirror travel was swift. One moment I was stepping through into the open air, the next my foot was pressing into loose dirt. I took a deep breath in through my nostrils and smelled the scent of sweat, excitement, and freshly turned earth. When I opened my eyes I had to contain a gasp of surprise at the volume of the place before me: Lord Death had built an entire arena, much like the Roman Coliseum, and the stands were filled with people – DWMA students and teachers come to cheer on their team. As soon as the crowds caught sight of us their cries increased by tenfold. Of course, Black*Star began soaking it up, raising his arms above his head with a wide grin. I couldn't help but join him. The roar of a thousand voices inflated my ego beyond recognition.

"I never knew… there were this many students in the DWMA." Though Kid's face didn't betray it much, I could see the look of wonder in his eyes. Even he couldn't suppress the smirk, and when he met my gaze I knew he was enjoying the crowd's enthusiasm as much as the rest of us.

The energy swelled again as another mirror glowed, another team stepping out. I could see Snow, his dark eyes sweeping across the open dirt, Tsubaki was right at his shoulder, her black ponytail swinging. A silent understand passed through a brief moment of eye contact and I knew that our friends from Africa would watch our backs.

"Are you ready?" I asked my meister in a low voice, watching as the rest of the mirrors lining perimeter of the arena began glowing one by one, spewing their separate teams and egging the crowd on further.

Black*Star, ever the showman, gave me an excessive thumbs up and winked.

"Hell yeah!"

* * *

Author's Note: And see, I returned! Doing my best to update quickly. Next chapter should be up as soon as I've typed it. If you see any errors don't hesitate to point them out.

On an unrelated note, I'm writing this while watching World War Z for the first time. Thank you, it's nearly one in the morning, and I'm about to pee myself. Have I ever told you that I'm really bad with horror movies? Like... absolutely horrible. And this isn't even that bad. I'm just lucky I didn't go with The Skeleton Key instead!

Well, goodbye for now ducklings!


	6. Chapter 6: Kai

Chapter Six: Kai: Not Quite a Bloodbath; Down With the Golden Duo?

Not quite sure what we were waiting for, I waited in total stillness, my grip on Black*Star's hand growing slick with perspiration. I couldn't even be embarrassed by it because I was so focused on the coming fight.

The rules were simple: no killing blows, standard duel procedures, and the winners would be the last sixteen people left on their feet. Black*Star was more focused than he had been in our kishin hunts, and his wavelength was positively energetic. It took nothing to match him and ride the wave that his determination and excitement had created within us. My whole body began to tingle with the sparks that the deep resonance created.

A loud horn sounded and suddenly the arena was full of movement.

In a flash of light I morphed into a heavy Claymore and Black*Star blocked a swipe from a nearby opponent. A matter of moments passed in a blue, my sight fragmented as I spun around until I finally withdrew into my resonance room and focused on feeling the sensations of the fight through Black*Star. It was a strange feeling: half of me slicing through the air, connecting with other weapons and protecting my meister, while half of my mind was with the hands that were wrapped around my hilt.

Another opponent jumped in front of us as soon as the last one had fallen, but it was Snow. The two meisters shared a look before moving on, Snow dashing by the blue-haired assassin to face another boy who I believed I remembered briefly meeting along with the rest of the Russian DWMA delegates. He was soon lost in the fight, as yet someone else lept in front of us.

Merle.

The girl, whose face freaked me out slightly because of its similarity to mine, had a steely glint to her eyes as she stared us down. She barely moved and suddenly she was in front of us, her arm glinting as it turned into a steel blade that was whistling through the air a little too fast for my comfort. As if we were one, I urged Black*Star to move and he did. It was awkward and embarrassing, being this deep inside of a resonance, but at the same time comforting. It was almost as if we were completely one.

"Fancy trick," she chuckled, carefully stalking around us while analyzing our movements. "I've heard a lot about you both, you know. The Kishin Blade and the last of the Star Clan. A strange pair, yet fitting." Another flash of movement, but we blocked her attack while countering with one of our own: a low sweeping of Black*Star's leg followed by a dagger throw that had me spinning past her neck, sheering off a few hairs as she barely managed to duck out of the way. I transformed and rolled with the impact of the ground, quickly getting to my feet.

"I'm a better weapon, you know," Merle taunted, her choice of words confusing and out of the blue. My confusion allowed me to be caught off guard as she suddenly twisted and launched herself at me, abandoning her pursuit of my meister. With a shout of rage I bent backwards to avoid a swipe of her arm and punched her solidly in the stomach. She gasped, alarm etched into her face as I quickly gained the upper hand using nothing but my bare hands.

As soon as the way was open, I danced out of her reach and glanced around for my meister. The idiotic boy had left to go continue fighting and was now gallivanting across the arena fighting with only his wavelength and his knowledge of martial arts. Though I admired his bravery, I couldn't help but huff angrily at his stupidity, though he was managing to kick some major ass on his own. Rolling my eyes, I tried to take a moment to count up those remaining but was distracted by a sudden tackle. I used the momentum to roll, steam-rolling the person under me and continuing to my feet and twisting to face Merle again, cursing my mistake.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent," I hissed under my breath, my face grim. A better fighter would have taken me out of the competition had they been given that same opportunity.

"I've heard talking to yourself is a sign of schizophrenia," Merle mused, a sly smirk on her face as we circled each other yet again.

Snorting, I rolled my eyes. "Is that the best you can come up with? Really?"

Then we clashed, fists and feet flying. I watched, focused completely on her movements. My skill in hand-to-hand combat was stellar after months of training with Black*Star, but I was facing a weapon who didn't need a meister. Her slashing metal limbs kept me on my toes, but my weaponization of my wavelength was weakening her quickly. No one could take this many hits to their wavelength and not be exhausted.

So lost in the fight, she didn't notice when Black*Star finally returned to the fight. A self-satisfied smirk was on his face as again I connected with him. Though we weren't close enough for as strong a resonance as the last, he easily relayed the plan. In a sudden, precise motion, I launched myself forward, driving Merle back into my meister with a flurry of attacks. Barely able to defend herself from such a furious, sudden barrage, the European weapon stumbled backwards only to get a fistful of Black*Star's wavelength.

Her cry of agony broke through my fighting haze, making me pause for a split second. Merle was on the ground, kneeling before me, but the fight hadn't been won yet. Not only was she still conscious, but she was already fighting her way to her feet, a murderous look in her eyes. I raised my fist to finish the fight…

A horn blazed, shocking me. I glanced around, realizing that other than Black*Star, Merle, and I, there were only thirteen others still standing. From across the arena I could see Tsubaki leap out of Snow's hand and into his arms, a cheerful yelp exploding from her lips. They must have been the ones to drop the last loser. I stepped away from the nearly-beaten girl, throwing her a glance that spoke volumes: _Next time you won't be so lucky. _

She smiled innocently and shook her head, getting shakily to her feet. "No hard feelings?"

"Of course not!" I gave her an edgy smile and watched her walk away, her orange hair swishing behind her as she left us. "I don't trust her."

My meister nodded in agreement before pulling me into an enthusiastic hug. Whooping, he picked me up and spun me around as I laughed. Black*Star squeezed me tightly and set me down, his excitement infecting me through eye contact as he looked down at me. "We're in the second round, Kai. One step closer to being the best. One step closer to being a Death Weapon."

Eyes shining, I literally would have agreed to anything he said right then. The way his eyes were lighting up with exhilaration, his breath still slightly short from the fights, his skin slightly slick with sweat; he looked like a champion. A hero. Someone that I would give my life for, not just because being his weapon made me obligated to, but because I _wanted _to. Because he was my partner, through and through.

"Black*Star," My grey eyes couldn't leave his, my emotions too strong in the moment. "We did it."

His face split even wider.

"Glad to see you two decided to stick around!"

I leaned around Black*Star's shoulder to see Death the Kid, along with Liz and Patty, triumphantly walking over to us as well. That left eight spots to be filled by others. My eyes widened when I realized who we were missing and I frantically searched the happy faces for our other candidates. Crona I saw on the other side of the arena, looking around nervously while unconscious bodies littered the ground around him. Scoffing, I continued my search, finally finding who I was looking for.

Soul and Maka, picking themselves up off of the ground.

"Oh, shit."

Maka's green eyes were dimmer than I had ever seen them as Soul supported her weight, helping her limp over and join our group. The Thompson sisters hugged her as I stood awkwardly nearby, self-conscious. Soul stared at the ground, silent.

"Dude…" Black*Star was pale, and set his hand lightly on his best friend's shoulder.

I looked at the Golden Duo, a pit of dread in my stomach. Black*Star and I had won, but a price had been paid. The best of us had fallen due to a bad day.

Suddenly, the fragile state of the situation became apparent to me. I glanced at my blue-haired meister, sharing a look with him as even he (yes, the slightly dimwitted one) realized it as well. We would fight, and we would fight with all we had.

But who was to say it would be enough?

* * *

Author's Note: Alright, so this chapter was really short, but I've been having some major writer's block. Like, I know where the plot is going, and I have the end plotted out (and partially written as well!) but I've been having issues actually getting there... anyways, this chapter more than ever I need your thoughts! Make sure to review, follow, and, if you liked it, favorite!

Also, if anyone has any tips on how to dynamite my writer's block... I'm now taking suggestions!


	7. Chapter 7: Kai

Chapter Seven: Kai: Surprising Twists; The Final Sixteen Are Modeling?

The next morning I woke up with more sore muscles than I had ever before acquired just by fighting. With a groan I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to catch my brain up with the rest of me. It was difficult to move, let along think. After a moment I gave up and shut my eyes, instead relishing the warmth of my blankets and quietly praying that Black*Star would be as comatose as I was and stay in bed – or at least silent.

A knock came softly at the door a few moments later, surprising me. "Come in?"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Black*Star shuffled into the room sleepily and came directly to the bed, crawling over me and ignoring my protests as he curled into a silent ball between me and the wall. Blushing furiously, I stared at him for a long few minutes before I finally just accepted his presence and tried to relax. That, of course, was a losing battle. I simply couldn't get my mind to leave Black*Star while the fit boy was lying right next to me – in a bed no less. Call me a pervert, but my hormones just wouldn't allow a situation like this to go unnoticed. The red in my cheeks deepened and I shook my head, embarrassed.

I got to my feet, sparing the sleeping boy one last glance before I moved out of the room. My bare feet touched the cool wood and I traced the white walls with my hands, sleepily following their parameters until I reached the kitchen. Staring into the cupboards, I wrinkled my nose at our lack of food, but quickly shot down my plan of heading over to Maka and Soul's for something. The Golden Duo had worked out their issues, but things were still tense around the Alburn and Evans apartment. That was something I would rather avoid first thing in the morning. With that figured out, I sighed and decided that for once in my life I would actually attempt to cook something for breakfast.

We had just survived round one of the Games, after all. It would be like a celebration.

It started with the eggs: what was supposed to be a batch of eggs over easy quickly became dry scrambled eggs after several mishaps concerning the yolk and then the burner heat. Next, the waffles decided that spontaneously combusting was a good way to commit suicide. One or two turned out alright, after I had put the fire out. I just hoped that they wouldn't taste too much like the chemicals in a fire extinguisher.

Placing my sub-par breakfast on the table, I stared at it for a long few moments while I grew more and more embarrassed. Even from afar you could see the eggshells in the crumbling mass of yellow. The few waffles that had survived were more crisp than they had right to be. Even the orange juice, which I had poured out of a carton – how could that go wrong? – looked too damn watery to even pass as orange-flavored water. While I contemplated the possibility of my being cursed, I quickly began trying to get rid of the evidence of my disgusting breakfast while calling a café down the street and ordering two breakfasts to go. It was sneaky and underhanded, but at this point I was just glad that we were going to eat this morning.

After rushing down to the café and picking up out food, I came back to discover Black*Star already seated at the table, motionless and staring at a plate of what looked suspiciously like my failed attempt at eggs. I bit my lip, noticing the fork in his hand, and realized that I had left some eggs in the pan…

"You ate some of them, didn't you?" I winced.

He nodded numbly and sat there quietly as I stole his plate and unceremoniously dumped the contents in the trash before setting the to-go container in front of him, opening it up and letting the delicious smell of food cooked the right way escape. The bluenette nearly forgot a fork as he began shoving it into his mouth, his eyes slowly gaining a bit of light to show that he was waking up. It was pretty adorable. The more he woke up, the more he gained back a bit of the excitement that he'd had yesterday. By the time I had swallowed the last of my own food he had already ran to his room, gotten dressed, and was calling the gang together for a basketball game.

Chuckling slightly, I stretched and proceeded to go change into my own clothes – ones that I could be comfortable in no matter what we ended up doing. I grabbed a random tank top and threw on a pair of black short shorts underneath it, donning my black high tops and pulling a black sweatband around my left wrist. When I left my room, pulling my blood-red hair into a high, waving ponytail while leaving my bangs down, I almost ran face-first into Black*Star's chest.

"Hey! So we're all going to meet down at the courts in a few minutes and… isn't that my tank top?"

I glanced down and began blushing furiously, realizing that it was indeed. Not only that, but my black sports bra was showing quite a lot more than I had anticipated, and you could see the uncovered skin of my torso through the armholes when I moved.

"Ah, hell, I'll just go change. I don't know why I grabbed this one! I mean, I washed it so I could give it back to you because I know you don't like doing laundry and I was grabbing something to play basketball in and… fuck, this is awkward!" Spinning on my heel, I went to go back into my room until Black*Star caught my wrist and turned me back towards him.

The assassin was bashfully rubbing the back of his neck with his freehand, a light blush on his cheeks. "Wear it. It looks… okay."

Gnawing on my lip in a way that I hoped was more 'I am trying to flirt and be cute' than 'rat biting on its own tail', I nodded. "Okay."

For good measure, I grabbed my wristwatch so that we could back on time later this afternoon. Lord Death had asked that the sixteen who would be going on to the next round return to the Land of Mirrors at what was four p.m. our time, so as long as we were back before then I didn't mind much what we did. Walking with Black*Star down the street was relaxing even if he was as rambunctious and fidgety as hell. The bluenette locked his hands behind his head and stared ahead, muttering to himself as we walked.

"Black*Star?"

His eyes slid over to me and he 'humphed' in acknowledgement. For a moment I paused, looking at him and not quite knowing what I wanted to say – or how I wanted to say it. How was it that he had matured so quickly? Or maybe maturity wasn't what it was, but all the same, something had changed within him. We had grown older, I guessed. When I had first met him… wait. "How old are you?"

"You don't know how old I am?" he asked in confusion, halting while I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, blushing, and trying to figure out how it had escaped me this long. It hadn't seemed to matter how old he was. "I'm almost fifteen, why?"

"Almost… fifteen?" I squeaked. I could feel the blood draining from my face as I stared at him with wide eyes. He didn't seem that… well, sometimes he _did _seem that young, but for the most part I thought he was the same age as I was. "I'm a cougar!"

"A cougar?" Black*Star's face screwed up in confusion as he stared at my nervous breakdown. "What the hell are you talking about?"

I pressed both hands to my face in embarrassment. "Black*Star, I'm turning seventeen. That makes me a whole two years older than you…"

"So?"

"So? If we were normal people, in normal high school, we would barely know each other!"

Black*Star scoffed, "I'm such a big star, I doubt you wouldn't know me!"

Rolling my eyes, I turned away. I didn't know why it bothered me so much that I was two years his senior, but it did explain a lot. Like his strange naivete, or his subtle stupidity. The cocky bastard had barely had enough life experience to crack through his huge ego, yet at the same time he, like many DWMA students, had seen so much that we couldn't really be called 'children' anymore. We were more than that, and stronger than that.

"Have you ever thought about what you're going to do after the DWMA?"

My question seemed to take Black*Star by surprise. He quickly recovered: "Well, a big star like me is gonna' be a three-star meister for sure!"

"_After_ that," I sighed, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and furrowing my brow. "I mean, we can't spend our _whole _lives hunting down kishin. Don't you want to do anything else?"

"There's nothing else," Black*Star laughed. "I'll defeat god and I'll be a meister. That's all a big star like me needs!"

I sighed slightly, studying his assured stance from the corner of my eye, and then decided it would be best to just keep walking. For the remainder of the time my mind wandered, full of questions that I had never bothered asking. Was there ever going to be more to life than the DWMA, fighting, and kishin souls? It wasn't as if I was dissatisfied with my life, just that I had never stopped to question what I was doing with it. There had never really been much of a choice for me. Once I had awoken from my kishin state, I had been sent straight to the DWMA, and after that paying for the sins that I felt I had committed was the most important thing to me. Now… different things were beginning to gain more importance. The safety of my friends, for one, as well as my relationship with my meister (which was chaotic at best) were both things that I was starting to appreciate more and more as I stayed with Black*Star, Maka, Soul, Kid, Patty, and Liz.

I still had so much to learn.

* * *

"Hiya!"

Lord Death's large, blocky hand waved at us enthusiastically as we exited the mirror closely after Kid, Liz, and Patty. I blinked, slightly overwhelmed by his sudden movement. Beside me Black*Star lets out a yelp and jumps backwards, stumbling on his own feet and landing hard on his ass. I snickered lightly when he shot to his feet, roughly shoulder-bumping me with a teasing grin.

"What exactly are we all here for, father? The next stage of the competition isn't until next week. Shouldn't you be allowing us to rest?" Kid's golden eyes reflected his bored tone, and besides him Liz and Patty stood symmetrically on either side. Those three made quite the trio!

"Well, Kid, you see: a competition like this is always good for the reputation of the DWMA! So I've decided to publicize it as much as possible!"

"Won't that distract some of the competitors?" I frowned.

"What Lord Death is trying to say is that he's making money off of selling merchandise." Stein came up behind the Shinigami and adjusted his glasses. My favorite professor was wearing his typical lab coat with a few dark splotches towards the left of his chest that looked suspiciously like the blood of whatever he had been dissecting recently.

Black*Star jumped to the front of the group, striking a victorious pose. "Well everyone better get out their wallets, because with a big star like me they'll be spending everything they have!"

I facepalmed, smacking him upside the head while I walked past to follow Lord Death and Stein. The two older men had already began leading their way down the hallway. They still hadn't answered Kid's question but I had a feeling that they had done so purposefully. For some odd reason I felt like whatever it was, it was going to be out of our comfort zone – even for us as DWMA students.

"Lord Death, what exactly are you going to have us do?" Warily I eyed the halls we were passing through, some that I had never seen before, as Kid's eyes grew wider with each passing second.

The shadow of a Death god continued to bounce down the hall, giggling lightly. "A photo shoot, of course!"

A… photo shoot?

"What the hell?" Kid exclaimed, stopping. Patty bumped into him roughly and it caused the rest of us behind them to stumble into each other. "Father, this is ridiculous! No self-respecting student of the DWMA would want to take part in such a-"

"Yay, pictures!" Patty cheered.

The young Shinigami let out a noise of frustration before turning away from the group, but not before I could see the angry blush sprawled across his face. Even though I was no less pleased by this turn of events I couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

Golden eyes glared at me as if they knew that I was silently making fun of them. I shrugged in response, sniggering along with my meister. Black*Star started running his mouth about how they were sure to sell a lot of stuff with his face on it. "A big star like me is sure to attract a lot of sales!" He guffawed.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head in amusement. The ego on that boy had no limits, it seemed.

Then, I let out a gasp. One second we had been walking through the hallways of Lord Death's home in the Land of Mirrors and the next the sun was bearing down at us, smirking, and an abundance of golden sand led to crystal waters. The beach was an amazing, welcome – though surprising – sight. It had been ages since I had been anywhere near the ocean – other than our fight with Calypso, but that didn't exactly count.

"I believe you'll find the proper swimwear in those tents over there." Lord Death gestured towards a pink tent – for the girls – and a blue tent – for the boys – nearby. "Now let's have fun!"

With that, the black-clad Shinigami bounced energetically over to where the thirteen other competitors were milling about, already in their suits. Some, like Tsubaki, waved cheerfully while others either stared at them with thinly veiled hostility or arrogantly ignored us. A spark of anger lit in my stomach when I saw Merle lounging on a towel in a rather revealing set of swimwear. As we all made our way towards the tent she waggled her fingers in our direction, but something told me it wasn't for me.

Beside me, Black*Star blushed. On instinct, I punched him on the shoulder before stalking into the pink tent and letting the flap close behind me. Set up all around were racks of man different types of swimsuits, though most were designed to be overly cute and, in some cases, skimpy. With an angry huff and narrowed eyes I scoured the room for something that wasn't going to leave my less-than-plentiful assets hanging out all over the place. With a triumphant shout, I held up the DWMA school-issue one piece just as Liz and Patty walked in. What ensued was a brief moment of myself, staring at them in slight fear as they raised an eyebrow and shook their heads before denying me my relief: "What the hell are you doing?"

"I-I'm picking out a swimsuit!" I said weakly, clutching the fabric to my body as the two looked at each other before the two sisters began smirking evilly.

Liz looked at me, "Patty subdue the target while I try and find something a little more… eye-catching. And get that god-awful one piece away from her!"

"Alrighty!" Patty cheered, sprinting over to me. I did my best to run away, adrenaline sparking through my veins, but the shorter blond girl tackled me to the ground and wrestled the swimsuit from my hands, holding it high above my reach.

Kishin, I could face. To an extent, they were less complicated than these two plotting, conniving, boy crazy girls who were about to force me into looking like a whore. I shut my eyes tight and held my breath, wondering if I could just asphyxiate myself and skip the whole ordeal. Also, I wished Maka were here. The meister would have been a great ally in this particular conflict.

"Why aren't you afraid of me like you're afraid of Maka?" I griped, keeping my eyes shut tight.

"You're a big softy, that's why!" Patty giggled. "Like a teddy bear!" She squeezed me into a hug and my eyelids slid back, my eyes nearly popping out of my head.

Liz made an enthusiastic whoop and I heard her footsteps approach quickly. My eyes widened, for a different reason, as she held up the swimsuit that she had chosen for me to wear. Before I could even say a word she threw it at me, Patty tossing the one piece towards her. A pair of scissors dashed my hopes of gaining it back as she cut out the chest area. Now… I had no choice.

Lying in my hands was a rather plain black bikini. It wasn't too revealing – no, that wasn't why I was against wearing it – and it had a halter top that seemed sturdy enough. The bottoms were a pair of short board shorts with a grey drawstring, so my ass would be covered up satisfactorily. No, what bothered me was on the left cup of the top: a bold gray star. Hell, if I had been partnered with anyone else it might have been super cute to me, but Black*Star's star tattoo was something that I had seen Tsubaki, his past weapon, also emulate on her uniform. For me it seemed as if wearing this was almost like… I was claiming him or something. Or trying to impress him.

Which, yes, would be a bonus but…

"Just put it on, it's not as big a deal as you think!" Liz rolled her eyes.

"Then why are you forcing me to wear it?"

"Because it's funny to force you into doing things you don't want to! Now _put it on_!"

"No!" I yelped.

Five minutes later, I stepped out of the tent with anger. Stomping, I ignored the gaping faces of my usual teammates and stalked towards Tsubaki instead, who waved me over when she saw my discomfort.

"Hey, Tsubaki." I sat down grumpily, nodding silently to Snow who sat next to her. The dark-skinned boy looked slightly confused by my irritation, but I did my best to ignore his attention.

"Hey Kai, I like your suit!"

I huffed, "Don't talk about it."

"Is it about this?" The dark haired beauty tapped her chest with a small smile.

My blush was enough to answer.

She laughed lightly, in good nature. "I understand. I remember the first time I started wearing it. I was…" she paused, thinking. "Scared, I suppose. That I was being too forward. But Black*Star was really excited about it, and I'm sure he'll feel the same about you wearing it now."

I nodded, surprised that her words were actually easing my stress. Looking over at my meister, I could feel that her words were true. After giving her a small, tentative smile I got to my feet and began going over to him where he was playing volleyball with a few others. At the moment I glanced over, he jumped up and aggressively spiked the ball across the net, his wavelength crackling like electricity through the air as it flew. My feet carried me quickly towards him, and he turned towards me with a wide grin, flushing slightly as he saw me in my slightly exposed state.

His grin faltered slightly as he saw the star.

"You're…" Black*Star trailed off before breaking into a wide grin. "I like it."

"The suit, or the star?" I smirked.

"All of it."


	8. Chapter 8: Kai

Chapter Eight: Kai: This Is Embarrassing; Is Lord Death a Closet Pervert?

After my somewhat awkward discussion with my meister, I wandered back over to Tsubaki and laid out my own towel to relax in the sun. My pale skin was likely to get burnt quickly, but for the moment I wasn't too worried. Sooner or later I would track down some sunscreen so that I could avoid the terrors of being likened to a lobster, as well as the pain that ensued when I was burned. For the moment I relaxed with the sunshine easing my tense muscles. Sighing softly, I lay back and chatted easily with the Japanese weapon and her African counterpart, discovering how they had been doing since the obliteration of the Exchange Program. I learned that not only had Tsubaki been welcomed into the African DWMA with open arms since their return, but also that they were said to be the strongest team in their class. Snow didn't say anything during this portion of the discussion, and I realized that even though Tsubaki was known to be somewhat reserved and quiet, being with Snow had made her much more talkative and expressive. Perhaps it was because he lacked the desire to talk, and she felt like she needed to make up for his silence. Still, it was nice.

I also learned of the different types of kishin they generally saw in the African savannah. It turned out that many kishin took on grotesque animal forms, or the guise of witch doctors. There were even kishin who had been posing as the shaman of African tribes before the DWMA had established a base there, and had been preying on their villages for years. Though a glance around told me that all the others were entertaining themselves with lighter matters, I couldn't help but be fascinated by the differences in kishin forms across the globe. Many kishin, I knew, took on the names and attributes of local legends and famous killers, and it seemed different biomes affected their forms as well. Not to mention the personality and the degree of madness the soul had sunken into.

After a while talking about our studies got boring, so we got up and wandered over to the group with Snow trailing behind. I couldn't help but notice the differences between how Snow, a fellow assassin, acted from Black*Star. His footsteps were lighter, and he always seemed not-quite-there, as if I would glance back and he would suddenly be gone. A few times I looked just to make sure he hadn't actually disappeared. He was so silent it was impossible to tell just by listening.

Black*Star was impossible _not _to hear, though on missions he could be ever quieter (I knew this from experience). All of our training in the time I had been his weapon had greatly improved his skill as an assassin. While he still stomped around like a herd of rhinos – and announced his presence to roomfuls of strangers – he was quicker on his feet now, and his overly large ego and abundance of confidence gave him nerves of steel when it came to stalking a target. Patience was what he lacked, which I could tell Snow probably had that particular skill honed like a sharp knife. I wondered if maybe a few weeks of hunting in Africa might not just do my meister some good.

"Hey, Kai!" The bluenette bounded over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, grinning hugely.

"Whats up?" I asked coolly, smiling at his exuberance.

"Lord Death is ready for us all to start taking pictures now. I was gonna say we could just start, but I figured the weapon of a future god should probably be in them!"

Smirking, I followed him towards the group that was gathering. Lord Death was bouncing around enthusiastically while Stein stared out at the ocean with detachment. Marie was standing by his side, looking smitten, while Death Scythe moped beside a smooshed sand castle. I raised an eyebrow at the photographer, taking a quick glance at their soul and realizing that he's a regular human. Immediately I began getting suspicious and my walls went up, my mouth shutting into a grim line as I inspected his soul for anything unusual. All in all, his soul was pretty weak, but I wasn't taking any chances. I pressed my shoulder into Black*Star's, standing a half step behind him: a silent sign from weapon to meister of my distrust of the situation.

I distrusted all new situations, so it wasn't as if this action was very alien to us.

"Alright kids, why don't you all get to know each other a little better while we have some fun! The Shinigami chirped. Immediately we all began to look at each other, sizing up the ones we weren't familiar with, investigating differences in the ones we did know. This was different than a pre-fight study, however, and everyone knew it. Underlying was a current of a strong competition: testosterone vs. testosterone, estrogen battling it out in the beauty department.

I, however, took the time to take stock of those that would be surrounding me for the next few hours.

Of course, there was Black*Star and I, Kid and the Thompsons, Crona, and Tsubaki and Snow. Then there was Merle, but the other five were mysteries to me. Two were a brother and sister pair from the states, but no one I knew. The remaining three were all from the Russia outpost, a beefy-looking pair of boys who I was sure could break Crona's toothpick body with a twitch of their pinky, and a self-wield wood ax who'd been hitting on all the girls – rather desperately – all day. It had been amusing to watch him only because he was so persistent. I mean, the guy wasn't even bad looking, and I found the rough Russian accent to be a refreshing change from the smooth vowels of the bitch, Merle's, French. I had plans to rearrange my look-alike's face.

My eyes narrowed on each unidentified individual until, finally, I saw the American girl squirm. She shakily waved at the circle before introducing herself: "Howdy, everyone. My name is Katelynn and this is my brother, Aiden. We're from the DWMAA." A slight country twang suggested that she had been from one of the southern states before joining the academy, maybe Kentucky.

One by one, we went around the circle and told each other our names and where we were from. It suddenly occurred to me, somewhere in between the steroid twins, that the DWMA had three weapon/meister pairs that had made it to the next round. Somehow that made Maka and Soul missing out feel that much worse for me. Those two should have owned the competition, yet a fight got in the way. Luckily, they had gotten it sorted out and were already back on the kishin-hunting job, but it didn't take soul perception to see that things were not as they once were. It would take time for the Golden Duo to regain their confidence in each other.

Personally, I felt slightly bad that it had all happened. This was exactly the reason that relationships between partners was discouraged. Too many partnerships had fallen apart because of 'lover's squabbles', and if that had happened to Maka and Soul… who knows what could have happened? So far they were our year's best – they weren't called the Golden Duo for nothing! But what would have happened if they weren't so attuned to each other? Maka and Soul would have been finished, but not only that: Team Maka would be done. Without Soul to play the piano or Maka to lead us through the fight we wouldn't be as formidable. Sure, Death the Kid and the Thompson sisters, plus Black*Star – the last surviving Star Clan member – and the Kishin Blade were all pretty damn strong but… somehow it felt as if without Maka and Soul we wouldn't be quite so…

Sighing, I did my best to laugh and have fun with the others, but I couldn't help my instincts; I moved with Black*Star like a shadow. Luckily, my meister didn't mind at all. In fact, he did his best to include me in his ego-fluffing antics. I was dragged through two games of volleyball, a water fight, and a competitive Chicken tournament that made me blush so much I wondered if my cheeks might get stuck that color. Finally, after an exhausting day, we collapsed onto the sand and lay there for a few minutes, both spent of energy. Being this tired after a few hours with Black*Star was nothing new to me, however, because it was the same way on missions. The boy had the habit of nearly always moving – and always overcompensating in his movement. You say jump? He breaks the cloud cover. You laugh? He's got to be heard down the block.

In other words: he didn't have to just surpass god, he had to surpass everyone else too.

For now, though, he was oddly silent.

It was a little creepy.

"Black*Star?"

"Yeah?" His voice was quieter than usual. I could barely hear it over the sounds of everyone else continuing on with the shoot.

"This is pretty fun, huh?" I asked, staring at the clouds and wondering when exactly I had started _having fun._ It was surprising, since generally it took me ages to let my guard down enough to relax, but it was nice at the same time. Even though there was sand stuck up to my knees and I had kind of started sweating under the same – damn, I forgot sunscreen! – at the same time I was enjoying myself. Maybe it was just because Black*Star was here, or maybe I had just never allowed myself to be in these kinds of situations before…

After a moment, my meister laughed: "Of course it's fun, you're spending the day with a god!"

I groaned. "Fuck, Black*Star, you ruined the moment!"

Guffawing, he rolled over so that he was hovering over me, his body weight on his elbow. I felt my breath stop for a brief second as I looked up into his star-filled eyes and…

_Click!_

"You two are so cute!"

Blushing a deep red, I couldn't handle the amount of embarrassment that crashed onto me like a wave so I channeled it into anger. Pushing up off of the ground, I stomped over to the photographer. On the way there the middle finger of my right hand flashed in a blur of dark pink and – just as I was about to destroy his camera – a pair of arms wrapped around my torso to restrain me. With a growl I began twisting, protesting, trying to escape from within the confines of the bluenette's embrace while the photographer just got more pictures. Black*Star, as I was slightly distracted with cussing out the guy with the camera, suddenly burst into motion and ran us both into the water. My head went under and I popped up, spluttering and murderous.

"Oh my Death, you two are naturals!" The photographer gushed as he filmed our fight. I, for one, was using the water to my advantage, but Black*Star's fighting was as playful as a retarded puppy. Suddenly I was getting poked every time he came close enough to end it: a soft jab to my stomach, a knock on my forehead, a bop on the nose.

Lord Death was eating it up, too.

On the sand, the great Shinigami was sitting there with such a doe-eyed expression I wouldn't be surprised if he had already picked out our ship name. KaiStar? Blakai? (Alright, so there was a reason I didn't participate in this whole 'shipping' business.)

In the end I just waded out of the water and sat there with a pout on my face.

Boys sucked.

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Author's Note: Alright, so... hope you guys liked the last two chapters! I actually wasn't planning on going any deeper into the whole photo shoot, but it was a nice filler chapter before the next round, which will begin the next chap and span for a few of them! I'm super excited! Anyways, I ended up writing this because of a review... so please, leave your comments so that I know what you guys are looking forward to! And don't be shy! Constructive criticism is good too!

Anyways, you guys know the drill! Review, favorite, follow! And, as always, stay cool, little ducks!


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